Abandoned Russian Riviera: Resort Paradise to Ruins [46 PICS]

Abandoned beach at paradise Gagra in Russia, resort to ruins. After several centuries of wars, in the late 1800s, the town was “discovered” by a member of the Russian royalty. Prince Peter of Oldenburg saw the potential of the subtropical climate and built Gagra into a resort on the Black Sea. He added a park with tropical trees and even imported parrots and monkeys to give it an exotic feel. It’s the warmest city on the Black Sea coast and beautiful beaches stretch on for miles. Like any posh resort in a warm location, both the beach and the surrounding mountains added to its charm and made Gagra a popular tourist destination. During World War II, it served as a health resort in Imperial Russia during the days of the Soviet Union for the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. From then onward, Gagra grew in popularity and reputation into the “Russian Riviera.” Photo #1 by Svetlana Grechkina

In 1989, Gagra had a population of 26,636. But all-out war erupted between 1992 and 1993, leaving the resort city of Gagra as a war-torn paradise in ruins. Hundreds of thousands of Georgians were expelled from their homes and so very many were massacred. Gagra turned into an abandoned ghost town due to “ethnic-cleansing and mass expulsion of ethnic Georgians from Abkhazia.” Photo #2 by Vyacheslav Stepanyuchenko

The war changed Gagra from the happy place to a land most would dread to tread upon. Since countless thousands of murders happened here, an entire extermination of people, the overgrown ruins of war-torn Gagra are seeped in trauma. Some folks claim that Gagra is more than a ghost town; some folks claim it’s actually haunted with real ghosts. This is the road to Ritza – Ritza Lake and Stalin`s cottage and Gagra. Photo #5 by Daniil Dugaev

Railway station in Abkhazia. The photographer wrote, “This is an abandoned railway station in Abkhazia, former Russian territory. It stays untouched since the collapse of USSR – the railway connection of Abkhazia and Russia stopped and railway station left out of demand so nature could take over the left-overs of Soviet architecture. In my opinion it reminds somehow the Prince of Persia video game scenes or scenes from the movie of the abandoned civilization after some major disaster.” Photo #18 by antidigital_da

Resort to ruins – Gagra is a city in the Abkhazia, sprawling for 5 km on the northeast coast of the Black Sea, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains. Its subtropical climate made Gagra a popular health resort and “paradise” in Soviet times. Photo #19 by Vyacheslav Argenberg

“Old” Gagra is still gorgeous, but a new Gagra was built a ways off from this beautiful Black Sea coast. Why would people not rebuild exactly on this spot of paradise? Is it indeed true, that the resort ruins of abandoned Gagra is filled with ghostly visitors who refuse to move on? Photo #46 by mikesub

As many sweaty arm-pits to build all this as were wasted building Detroit City. Both, Communism and Capitalism failed the working folk that made these wonders possible. Will the new, Oriental philosophy based empire rising in Asia today do any better?

Images like this are really heart breaking! I’d love to see it done up again, with emphasis on education about the ethnic cleansing that happened. If people are told about the horrors of what happened here, then it would go towards making sure nothing like it happens again.

It is Georgian land and always will be. It was unrightfully invaded and thousands had to flee and leave their homes. So no its not a pity that a russian billionaire hasn’t restored it. Probably because everyone in the world still recognizes it as Georgian territory, same a Sukhumi, Abkhazia. They are beautiful photos but bitter sweet, because once it flourished and was inhibited by many different ethnicities but now it is a memory of war and Russian imperialism. So the article I’m sure was written in good nature but the headline should be shortened and Abandonded Russian Riviera- which it is not – should be left to just Paradise Left to Ruins.

Sad that Gagra is gone, I was there when I was 5-6 years old, now even if I wish to go I cant, as I m Georgian.
Hate the fact that Russia has done so much damage to our little country, and I really hope, that one day Abkhazia will realize that they re more part of Georgia than Russia… Will need generations though.

Why?….why change anything at all?…it is so beautiful just as it is,..occupied by those unseen that may have been a part of this place in its heyday. There is beauty in decay that simply can’t be replicated by the hands of man…..

Gagra is not in Russia. It is in Georgia. It is currently militarily occupied by Russia which also expelled the Georgian population from there in an ethnic cleansing campaign. Every single country in the world except Russia, NIcaragua and Hamas recognizes Abkhazia as the Georgian territory.

I’d live there, me and ghosts get along pretty fine really … they’d enjoy my company i reckon. it is sad that people fight and will cotinue to be horrible to each other until they learn that fighting sucks.